Men and Mental Health - Let's talk about it...

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‘You need to man-up!’

‘Be the man in the situation.’

Men have mental health as much as they have physical health and yet men have been told by society and media that they need to be the strong ones, they cannot fail, they are the providers. How many men have been told as children, ‘big boys don’t cry’.

It comes as no surprise then that talking about mental health and emotional issues is less prevalent with men than with women. In 2015, 78% of suicides in the UK were men. According to research by the Mental Health Foundation, two thirds of men surveyed said they had felt overwhelmed or unable to cope with issues in their lives. One third had expressed suicidal thoughts as a result of stress they were under. Almost one quarter had not spoken to a family member or a friend about the level of stress they felt and 28% had not sought any kind of medical help a mental health problem.

It is time for the message men receive about their mental health to change. For men to feel able to seek support when they feel overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed. There is no weakness in talking and seeking help and support.

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If you are a man and you are overwhelmed by stress, anxiety or depression or just feel like you cannot cope with current circumstances in your life, contact me to come and talk about it. You do not have to face these things alone.